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U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine speaks during a trilateral defense meeting with Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida, the chief of staff of the Self-Defense Forces’ Joint Staff, and South Korean Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Myung-soo at the Defense Ministry in Seoul on Friday.
JAPAN
Jul 11, 2025

South Korea, Japan and U.S. conduct air drill as defense chiefs meet

The three countries' defense chiefs also held an annual meeting in Seoul on Friday, where they recognized the importance of close trilateral cooperation.
As crypto adoption grows and Bitcoin hits new highs, a surge in violent attacks, kidnappings and hacks targeting holders underscores the steep and often overlooked cost of being your own bank in a cashless world.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 11, 2025

Crypto crime is the future. Bank heists are history.

Banks are no longer easy or juicy targets for robbers, with heists down more than 80% since the 1990s as branches close and piles of cash hoarded in safes become a rarity.
Chinese Finance Minister Lan Fo'an speaks at the China Development Forum 2024 in Beijing in March 2024.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jul 11, 2025

Can China become a defender of free trade?

The trillion-dollar question is: Does Beijing’s rhetoric match reality and how sincere is China when it claims to be a “defender” of free trade?
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington in April.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 12, 2025

A U.S.-EU trade deal hinges on cars, agriculture and Trump

Cars and tariff levels on agriculture have emerged as key sticking points between the European Union and the U.S., sources have said.
Osaka Prefectural Police headquarters
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 12, 2025

Osaka police crack down on crime ring over underage prostitution

The group, made up of roughly 70 members, is suspected of recruiting about 130 underage girls for prostitution through social media.
Jannik Sinner kisses the winner's trophy as he poses for pictures following his victory against Carlos Alcaraz at the end of their men's singles final tennis match at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships in Wimbledon, London, on Sunday.
TENNIS
Jul 14, 2025

Sinner rises above adversity to make Italian history at Wimbledon

The ice-cool 23-year-old beat Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to become Italy's first Wimbledon singles champion.
The Bank of Japan may face pressure to avoid rate hikes if opposition parties gain traction in the upcoming Upper House election.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Jul 14, 2025

Upper House election could further hamper BOJ's drive to raise rates

Surveys suggest Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's coalition may lose its majority, and empowered opposition parties could pressure the central bank to avoid rate hikes.
People listen as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (not pictured) speaks on Sunday in Kikuchi, Kumamoto Prefecture.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 14, 2025

Ruling parties could lose majority in Upper House election, poll suggests

A Mainichi Shimbun poll shows the ruling coalition might end up falling short of the 50 seats they need to maintain their majority in the Upper House of parliament.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 14, 2025

G20 agenda eclipsed as Bessent skips South Africa meeting again

Scott Bessent will skip the Group of 20 again this week, continuing a boycott of South Africa by top U.S. officials begun by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In a report Friday, Goldman Sachs economists noted that it’s reasonable to expect the Bank of Japan to start gradually selling ETFs in fiscal 2026 to minimize its loss and the impact on the stock market.
BUSINESS
Jul 14, 2025

BOJ finishes offloading bank stocks, bringing attention to ETFs

The BOJ’s holdings of the shares purchased from banks hit zero as of July 10, falling from ¥2.5 billion ($17.4 million) 10 days ago, according to its balance sheet report.
A soldier operates from an artillery position in the Sumy region of Ukraine on June 19.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 15, 2025

Trump threatens 100% Russia tariffs and vows arms for Ukraine

The threats echo punishment spelled out in a bipartisan bill in Congress that would impose 500% tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil and gas.
Alberto, a local farmer, sprays an apple orchard with pesticides in the village of Agia, in the Thessaly region, Greece, on June 12.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Jul 15, 2025

Europe's illegal pesticide trade surges as farmers cut costs

At least 14% of pesticides used on European Union fields today are illegal, up from around 10% in 2015.
A high school student uses social media applications in November 2024.
WORLD / Society
Jul 15, 2025

EU states to test age-check app to limit children's access to online services

The European Commission has unveiled a prototype of the app that Denmark, France, Greece, Italy and Spain will customize and launch within several months.
Hiroe Kawashimo enjoys regular walks in the city of Hiroshima.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Jul 28, 2025

Woman with disabilities from atomic bombing recalls mother's dedication

The daughter of a woman exposed to radiation from the Hiroshima atomic bombing has been frail since childhood and constantly in and out of hospitals.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks at the opening ceremony of the third China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) in Beijing on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 16, 2025

U.S. says Nvidia's sales of AI chips to China are part of rare earths talks

The planned resumption is a reversal of an export restriction imposed in April that is designed to keep the most advanced AI chips out of Chinese hands.
Soldiers stand during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to a military training area to find out about the training of Ukrainian soldiers on the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system, in Germany in June last year.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 16, 2025

Ukraine celebrates Trump's weapons reversal, but the 'devil's in the details'

U.S. President Donald Trump has finally found a way to like arming Ukraine: ask European allies to donate their weapons, and sell them American replacements.
Muneo Suzuki speaks in Sapporo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 16, 2025

Prodigal Hokkaido son returns to campaign trail for last run in Upper House election

Muneo Suzuki's personality and past actions make him a divisive political figure, but he's teaming up with the Liberal Democratic Party for one final run.
Hirofumi Yoshimura, leader of Nippon Ishin no Kai, outlines his party’s policies during a news conference at the Diet building in Tokyo on June 30.
COMMENTARY / Japan / From Party Leaders
Jul 16, 2025

Nippon Ishin stakes its appeal on real results as Upper House vote nears

Neither the ruling coalition or other opposition parties have advanced political reform.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a press briefing following phone calls with U.S. President Donald Trump on May 19.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 17, 2025

Zelenskyy aims to woo public and Trump with fresh-faced Ukraine cabinet

Zelenskyy's choice of a young economist well-known in Washington reflects the importance of repairing relations with Trump after a disastrous White House visit in February.
Mayu Ushida, a former NHK newscaster running for election in the Tokyo electoral district on the Democratic Party for the People ticket, signs an autograph for a voter after a public rally at Shinjuku Station in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 17, 2025

From stalking to death threats, female candidates still face harassment

As Japan aims to increase the number of women in politics, addressing the issue of unwanted attention from men remains a challenge.
Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito takes part in a debate with the heads of other political parties at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on July 2.
COMMENTARY / Japan / From Party Leaders
Jul 17, 2025

Komeito hears those hit hardest by rising prices

“To stand forever with common citizens.” Our party has faithfully abided by that founding principle for over six decades
Misa Kimura is the main producer for Kawaii Lab, a project by entertainment agency Asobisystem whose groups have found success by pairing a social media-first strategy with a fresh perspective on traditional idol-pop tropes.
CULTURE
Jul 17, 2025

Kawaii Lab redefines idol pop for the TikTok generation

The idol-pop project's main producer, Misa Kimura — a former idol herself — is giving her performers more control over their image and sound.
Kiyoshi Shibata stands in front of one of the rice paddies in Murayama, Yamagata Prefecture, where he produces the prefecture's signature rice brand Tsuyahime.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 17, 2025

Japan's rice farmers are confounded by Shinjiro Koizumi’s policies

Farming communities, a key base for the Liberal Democratic Party, are increasingly voicing their distress at how the rice situation is being handled.
Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (left) catches a pass against San Francisco 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward during overtime in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada on Feb 11, 2024.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Jul 18, 2025

Chiefs ace Rice gets 30-day jail term for hit-and-run crash

The Chiefs ace left the scene of the crash in Dallas on March 30 last year after racing in his Lamborghini at speeds of up to 191 kilometers per hour.
A think tank researcher said anti-government propaganda by Russian bot accounts was what has made the small far-right party Sanseito so popular leading up to the Upper House election.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 18, 2025

Concerns grow in Japan over possible Russian interference in Sunday’s election

A blog post from a member of the Japan Institute of Law and Information Systems went viral for stating Russian bots were interfering in the upcoming Upper House election.
Food banks are struggling to secure rice and other food items to distribute to people in need as inflation has put a dent in donations.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 18, 2025

As rice shortage hits donations, food banks urge politicians to tackle poverty

Food banks are struggling to secure rice and other food items to distribute to people in need as inflation has put a dent in donations.
Tribal and bedouin fighters cross Walga town as they mobilize amid clashes with Druze gunmen, near the predominantly Druze city of Sweida in southern Syria on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 20, 2025

Syria believed it had green light from U.S. and Israel to deploy troops to Sweida

Israel carried out strikes on Syrian troops and on Damascus on Wednesday in an escalation that took the Islamist-led leadership by surprise.
Ineos-Grenadiers rider Thymen Arensman crosses the finish line to win Stage 14 of the Tour de France on Saturday in the Pyrenees mountains of southwestern France.
MORE SPORTS / Cycling
Jul 20, 2025

Thymen Arensman gives Ineos something to cheer about at Tour as doping cloud hangs

Slovenian Tadej Pogacar retained the overall leader's yellow jersey as he took second place by beating chief rival Jonas Vingegaard.
Yukio Iokibe’s “Noto Democracy" centers on Motoyuki Takii, a former junior high school teacher who publishes a handwritten newspaper every month to encourage the residents of Anamizu, Ishikawa Prefecture, to engage in local politics.
CULTURE / Film
Jul 20, 2025

‘Noto Democracy’ and the slow work of civic change

As rural towns in Japan decline, Yukio Iokibe’s documentary offers a hopeful reminder that democracy endures through advocacy, persistence and human connection.
A coral reef in Okinawa in July 2022. Some jurisdictions around the world have moved to ban certain sunscreens in a bid to protect coral reefs, but some say the impact on reefs is far from clear.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / OUR PLANET
Jul 20, 2025

Japan’s top brands get tied up in the great sunscreen debate

The debate over the damage sunscreens cause to the marine environment is heating up as some regions ban certain chemical ingredients.

Longform

The byzantine process for converting a foreign driver’s license into a Japanese one entails mountains of paperwork and significant stamina — unless you're a lucky license holder from a country or region where these requirements are waived.
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.